Rivercrest Community Church

Rivercrest Community Church traces its history to the merger of the Zion Congregational Church and the German Brethren Church. Both churches share a rich Volga German heritage. The merger of these churches was voted on by the members and approved in April 1966. The first service of the newly merged Zion Brethren Church was held in July 1967.

In October of 1967, Reverend Robert C. Klein was elected pastor of the Zion Brethren Church and the former Brethren Church property was sold for $35,000.

In January of 1970, the majority of the Zion Brethren congregation felt it was time to move on to another community and build a new church. A new church structure at NE 148th was proposed at a cost of $175,000 and in December of that year both the plan and location were approved.

Drawing of Rivercrest Church

In August of 1972, the church constitution was revised and the church became known as Rivercrest Community Church. The first service in Rivercrest Community Church building (“Church on the Hill”) was held on January 21, 1973 and the building was dedicated on February 11, 1973.In February of 1978 Reverend Klein resigned as pastor and in July 1978 Reverend James F. Estes of Spokane was elected as the new pastor.

With a growing congregation and space to expand a new church building began construction in May 1980 and was dedicated on April 15, 1984 with Senator Mark Hatfield as the guest of honor.During this time period (1982) Rivercrest withdrew from the United Church of Christ.

Pastor Estes retired in July 1987 and Chaplain Ed Stelle became Interim Pastor until November 1987 when Peter D. Warner was ordained and installed becoming the first Minister to be ordained by the merged congregation. Rev. Warner had served as the General Manager of the Portland Timbers in 1980/81.​Rivercrest continued many Volga German traditions such as sausage dinners and noodle making. About once a month both men and women worked together to make delicious noodles from scratch. Profits from the noodle sales benefited the Women’s Guild, which in turn bought new equipment for the kitchen. The Annual German Sausage Dinner was a successful event that drew about 600 hungry guests each spring.​For many years, the Rivercrest Community Church was the meeting location for the Oregon Chapter of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia.

The church celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014 and it stands as the only church with Volga German origins that remains an active congregation.

Sources

Raugust, W. C., Robert Hoefel, Alex Rehn, and Albert Hausauer. History of the Pacific Conference of Congregational Churches of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, 1897-1963. Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1964. Print.

Churches along the Oregon Trail: A History of Churches Identified with the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ. Portland, Or.: Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1976. Print.

History of the Pacific Conference of Congregational Churches of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, p. 8.

Rivercrest Community Church Dedication Service Book, Portland, Oregon: 1984.